ABSTRACT
An enduring issue for the post-colonial nations of South Asia are the tensions between the demands for greater regional autonomy and the centralising urges of national governments. The independent governments that followed colonial rule generally tried to concentrate effective power within a strong political core, often seeing such centralisation as a means of strengthening weak and potentially fragmenting states. Examples include the highly centralised federal system in India, and the strong civilian and military regimes of Pakistan (Jalal 1995). But over the last 50 years these governments have faced a wide variety of pressures and challenges from communities and political parties seeking greater autonomy and devolution of power to the regions. The most ‘extreme’ expression of such regional demands are the struggles for outright secession. In 1971, for example, East Pakistan fought a war against West Pakistan to become the independent country of Bangladesh. Ongoing secessionist movements in South Asia today include the conflicts in Kashmir, the north-east of India, and in north and north-east Sri Lanka. More frequent, if less spectacular, are the other forms of regional struggles which do not challenge sovereignty of existing countries by trying to separate from them, but rather seek to change the balance of various territorial powers within them. These could include demands for greater political representation for a particular region (for example, in the Baluchistan and Sind provinces of Pakistan); increased economic and fiscal control (as demanded by many State 1 governments in India); or the promotion and protection of particular cultural identities (such as in certain adivasi or tribal movements in India). Actors in these regional struggles include social movements, the media, formal political parties, government institutions and personnel, the police, activists, military forces, and freedom fighters /guerrilla insurgents (depending on your point of view).
